New Front Yard: Monarchs love this pretty milkweed

Butterflies can’t resist this easy-care Baja California native.

Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens Size: 3 to 5 feet tall Bloom season: Summer Pruning needs: Cut to ground every three years to renew. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade. Water needs: Once established, water deeply every two weeks. Snapshot: Want the look of turf with less work? This grass needs mowing every three years. Tall and elegant, this California native moves with the breeze, swaying gently on a warm summer evening. Clumps can form a low, informal screen while adding interesting texture to a drought-tolerant garden. Flower stalks reach 5 feet tall. With almost no care and very little water, it looks great in combinations with other natives or on its own. “This easily is California’s most spectacular native grass,” said former arboretum superintendent Warren Roberts. “It looks like fireworks the way it arcs out and up.” You can see specimens in the Arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants and the Arboretum Terrace Garden on the UC Davis campus.
Sacramento Bee file

California white sage Salvia apiana Size: Under 4 feet. Bloom season: Spring. Pruning needs: Remove old flower stalks once a year. Exposure: Full sun. Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: This native will get your home garden buzzing. With its gray-green leaves, this California sage makes an attractive shrub in water-wise gardens. The easy-care shrub contains fragrant oils in its leaves. The white flowers in spring attract pollinating bees. You can see specimens in the arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.

Sticky monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus Size: Under 3 feet tall. Bloom season: Summer, early fall. Pruning needs: Little or none; prune to shape. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade. Water needs: Once established, water deeply once a week; can survive with irrigation every other week, but flowers less. Snapshot: This is a favorite California native with bright-colored blooms throughout the summer and into fall. Its distinctive flowers –which reminded early botanists of little smiling monkey faces – attract hummingbirds and beneficial insects. This perennial grows into a small shrubby mound, covered with flowers most of the summer. Monkeyflower prefers good drainage and sandy soil. It combines well with many Mediterranean plants such as lavenders and salvias. You can see specimens in the arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.
California Academy of Sciences

Blue grama grass Bouteloua gracilis Size:1 to 3 feet. Bloom season: Summer and fall. Pruning needs: Mow once in late fall or winter. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade. Water needs: Once established, water deeply every two weeks. Snapshot: Tired of the same old lawn? Blue grama grass is a California native gaining in popularity for its easy care and drought tolerance. The flower stalks start green and age to tan while staying tidy and upright – even when dormant. And this grass only needs mowing once a year. And instead of twice-a-week watering, it thrives with deep irrigation every other week. Particularly popular is the hybrid variety named “Blonde Ambition.” You can see specimens in the Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.
Sacramento Bee file

Mountain grape Mahonia aquifolium var. repens Size: Under 2 feet. Bloom season: Spring. Pruning needs: Little or none; prune to shape. Exposure: Full sun to full shade; prefers partial shade or filtered sun (particularly in afternoon). Water needs: Once established, water twice a month. Snapshot: A favorite in California native gardens, this ground-cover form of Oregon grape looks good year round with handsome, glossy foliage. Native to the Sierra and other mountain areas, it thrives in dry shade such as under oaks. In spring, it bears bright yellow flowers that attract beneficial insects. Also called creeping Oregon grape, creeping mahonia or prostrate barberry, this drought-tolerant native isn’t a grape, but its purple-blue berries form in grapelike clusters. They’re a favorite of birds – and people like them, too. The fruit can be made into preserves or jam. See examples in the T. Elliot Weier Redwood Grove of the UC Davis Arboretum on the UC Davis campus.
Pat Rubin

Concha ceanothus Ceanothus “Concha”Size: 4 to 6 feet tall Bloom season: Spring Pruning needs: Prune to shape after spring flowering, then little or none. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: One of the best California native lilacs for the drought-tolerant garden, Concha looks good year-round with dark green leaves. In spring, this shrub is covered with deep-blue flowers with reddish bracts, making it a favorite for beneficial insects. Ceanothus, nicknamed California native lilacs, aren’t related to “true lilacs” ( Syringa), which are native to southeastern Europe and eastern Asia. Fragrant like their lilac namesake, these California natives thrive with a lot less water. Concha also is an Arboretum All-Star. You can see specimens in the Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California Native Plants and Ruth Risdon Storer Valley-Wise Garden on the UC Davis campus.
UC Davis Arboretum

Western spice bush Calycanthus occidentalis Size: 6 to 12 feet tall Bloom season: Spring Pruning needs: Little or none; prune to shape. Exposure: Partial sun to full shade.Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: At home under taller trees or on a northern exposure, this shade-loving California native offers maroon-red flowers in spring and attractive gold foliage in fall, adding seasonal color to the dry garden. The flowers attract beneficial insects, including pollinating beetles. The leaves give this shrub its nickname; they have a sharp, clean fragrance. You can see specimens in the Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.

Santa Margarita foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’Size: Under 1 foot Bloom season: Spring and summer Pruning needs: Little or none; remove old flower stalks Exposure: Full sun to partial shade Water needs: Once established, water deeply every two weeks Snapshot: This California native puts on an ever-changing show of rainbow hues. The flowers start as golden yellow buds, then open into bright blue blooms before fading to purple pink. Unlike many penstemons, this one thrives in home garden conditions. It attracts plenty of beneficial insects, too. You can see specimens in the arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.
UC Davis Arboretum

Cleveland sage Salvia clevelandii Size: Under 4 feet tall Bloom season: Spring and summer Pruning needs: Remove old flower stalks in summer after bloom. Prune to maintain a compact form. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: This California native is a woody evergreen shrub that grows up to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The Winnifred Gilman variety produces maroon-stemmed, brilliant blue-violet flowers from mid-spring to early summer. The gray-green leaves have a deliciously strong fragrance. Hummingbirds and butterflies love this sage; so do bees. This variety of Cleveland sage particularly likes Sacramento’s weather. It is heat- and drought-tolerant – but not for gardens where water pools in winter. It can’t stand soggy roots. You can see specimens in the UC Davis Arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on campus.
Ellen Zagory/Courtesy of UC Davis

Western redbud Cercis occidentalis Size: Up to 10 feet. Bloom season: Early spring. Pruning needs: Little or none. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade. Water needs: Water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: Ubiquitous along area highways, this small California native tree boasts bright-purple blooms in spring, followed by attractive red seed pods in summer. New stems in winter (bearing the distinctive redbuds) were used by American Indians for making baskets. Besides being a low-maintenance plant, this tree offers an added plus – it attracts beneficial insects. Bees love it. See specimens in bloom now in the Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants as well as other gardens on the UC Davis campus.
Sacramento Bee

Ray Hartman California lilacCeanothus “Ray Hartman”Size: Up to 15 feet tall Bloom season: Spring Pruning needs: Little or none; prune after bloom to shape.Exposure: Full sun. Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: With its vibrant blue flowers, this California lilac ranks among the best for Sacramento-area gardens. The Ray Hartman hybrid of this native shrub is well-adapted to home landscapes because it can tolerate some summer irrigation. With handsome, dark-green foliage, it makes a good screen hedge or small specimen tree. Bees love it, too. You can see specimens in the Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus. The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery (at 1000 Broadway) also has several Ray Hartman lilacs in its California native plant demonstration garden.

Hollyleaf cherry Prunus ilicifolia Size: 8 to 30 feet tall Bloom season: Early spring Pruning needs: Little or none; shape as desired Exposure: Full sun Water needs: Once it’s established, water it deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: This attractive California native grows into an evergreen large shrub or small tree that’s useful as a living screen or tall hedge in low-water gardens. White flowers in spring provide pollen and nectar for insects and are followed by edible (although maybe not very palatable) fruit for birds. Native Americans fermented these “cherries” to drink. This tough shrub is tolerant of clay soils. A subspecies from the Channel Islands of Southern California, Catalina cherry ( Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii) has slightly longer and larger leaves and grows to tree-like proportions. See specimens in the arboretum’s Desert Collection on the UC Davis campus.

California wild grape Vitis californica Size: Vine, up to 30 feet Bloom season: Late spring (not showy).Pruning needs: None; light pruning annually if desired to contain growth. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade. Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: You’ve likely seen this native hanging out along the banks of the Sacramento River. California grape is a large, vigorous, deciduous vine, native to California and southern Oregon. For the New Front Yard, arboretum experts chose “Roger’s Red,” a variety of wild grape “tamed” by horticulturist Roger Raiche and known for its brilliant red fall color. This hardy vine is useful for wildlife gardens because of its sour grape fruit (which birds love) and summer shade on trellises where little irrigation is available. A twisting vine, it needs annual pruning to keep it within bounds. You can see specimens in the arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants as well as several other sites on the UC Davis campus.

Toyon or Christmas berry Heteromeles arbutifolia Size: 10 to 15 feet tall Bloom season: Spring Pruning needs: Little or none. Exposure: Full sun to partial shade. Water needs: Once established, water deeply every two weeks. Snapshot: Native to most of California, this handsome shrub with leathery, dark-green leaves blooms in spring, but its winter berries make it a standout. Throughout the colder months, large clusters of berries decorate the plant, giving it the nicknames “Christmas Berry” or “California Holly.” In fact, toyon’s holly monicker gave Hollywood its name; Hollywood’s hills were filled with toyon. Native toyon has red berries, but the university’s arboretum has developed a toyon with golden fruit. Appropriately called “Davis Gold,” this hybrid is a UC Davis exclusive. Toyon berries are a favorite food of the cedar waxwing, a bird that migrates through the Central Valley. You can see both yellow- and red-berried toyon specimens in the arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.
Sacramento Bee

Evergreen currant Ribes viburnifolium Size: Groundcover (under 18 inches tall).Bloom season: Late winter, spring. Pruning needs: Little or none. Exposure: Partial to full shade. Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: Also called Catalina currant or island gooseberry, this popular California native thrives where other groundcovers struggle – in the dry shade under oaks. As its nickname implies, it’s native to Santa Catalina Island off Long Beach, but it has spread to several coastal areas in Southern California and northern Baja California. Its shiny, dark-green, fragrant foliage (which exudes a citrusy scent) looks attractive year-round. Besides its landscape assets, this currant supports wildlife. In late winter and early spring, the star-shaped red flowers attract hummingbirds and beneficial insects. In late spring, the plant bears small red berries. You can see specimens in the arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.

Garrya elliptica, commonly called coast silktassel, is a California native shrub that can find a home in Sacramento low-water landscapes.

Island mountain mahogany Cercocarpus betuloides var. blancheae Size: 15 to 20 feet tall Bloom season: Winter Pruning needs: Little or none; light pruning to shape Exposure: Full sun to partial shade Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: Who says the New Front Yard has to be flat? A California native, this small tree thrives in full sun and dry soil, although it tolerates a little shade, too. In early winter, tiny white flowers attract beneficial insects. More noticeable are the unusual seed pods; they curl upward and are covered with bright, silky fuzz. These seed pods also give this tree its botanical name, Cercocarpus, which means “fruit with tail.” You can see specimens in the Ruth Risdon Storer Valley-Wise Garden and the Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the University of California, Davis, campus.
Ellen Zagory

Manzanita Arctostaphylos species Size: Wide range, from under 1 foot to 20 feet. Bloom season: Winter Exposure: Full sun to partial shade Pruning needs: Little or none Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month Snapshot: More than 40 species of manzanita – which means “little apple” – are native to California, with dozens of cultivars and hybrids available commercially for home gardens. Manzanita is well-known for its smooth, almost wine-red bark. In late winter, it also sports dense clusters of light-pink blooms, a favorite for hummingbirds and beneficial insects. Vine Hill manzanita ( Arctostaphylos densiflora “Howard McMinn”) is one of the few manzanitas that can tolerate Sacramento’s clay-loam soil. It also stays relatively compact, forming a shrub 4 to 6 feet tall. With its attractive foliage, it looks good year-round with very little water or care. You can see specimens in the arboretum Terrace Garden on the UC Davis campus.

Chaparral currant Ribes malvaceum Size: 4 to 6 feet tall Bloom season: Fall and winter Pruning needs: Little or none. Exposure: Partial shade. Water needs: Once established, water deeply once or twice a month. Snapshot: This California native shrub – also part of the Arboretum All-Star series – offers a winter bouquet of pale-pink flowers, a favorite for hummingbirds. The leaves have an attractive scent, too. This shrub’s easy-care profile (little water, less work) make it a favorite for spaces with partial shade, such as under heritage oaks or other large trees. You can see specimens in the arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants on the UC Davis campus.

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This is one part in a weekly series featuring the UC Davis Arboretum “New Front Yard” series, 41 drought-tolerant and beautiful plants well adapted to our region.

Narrowleaf milkweed

Asclepias fascicularus

Size: Under 3 feet tall.

Bloom season: Summer.

Pruning needs: Little or none; cut back in winter to renew.

Exposure: Full sun.

Water needs: Once established, water deeply twice a month.

Snapshot: This may be the ultimate butterfly magnet –especially for the beloved Monarch. Milkweeds are a primary food source for Monarch caterpillars. And this Baja California native can make a pretty addition to the low-water garden, too. The summer flowers, which appear in clusters, are pinkish white and attract butterflies from June through September. The attractive foliage is a pale green with fine, narrow leaves. Milkweed tolerates heat and drought, but can’t stand shade; it needs full sun. Happy in sandy or clay soil, this easy-care perennial also adapts well to slopes. See specimens in the UC Davis Arboretum’s Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California Native Plants on the UC Davis campus.